Overview

This timeless collection brings together three hundred of the most enduringly popular of Aesop's fables in a collection that will delight young and old readers alike. Here are all the age-old favorites-the wily fox, the vain peacock, the predatory cat, and steady tortoise-just as endearingly vivid and relevant now as they were for their very first audience.

Although the three hundred fables in this collection are attributed to Aesop, and his name is synonymous with the form, it ...

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Overview

This timeless collection brings together three hundred of the most enduringly popular of Aesop's fables in a collection that will delight young and old readers alike. Here are all the age-old favorites-the wily fox, the vain peacock, the predatory cat, and steady tortoise-just as endearingly vivid and relevant now as they were for their very first audience.

Although the three hundred fables in this collection are attributed to Aesop, and his name is synonymous with the form, it seems unlikely he was in fact anything more than a legendary figure. While some historical accounts maintain he was a slave with a prodigious talent for storytelling who lived during the sixth century B.C., many believe it unlikely that this whole stock of fables can be attributed to one individual.

An illustrated collection of traditional moral tales from the Greek slave Aesop.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly

Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly

In her first book, German artist Drr uses pencil and charcoal to illustrate a particularly imaginative selection of 17 classic fables. Although many entries are familiar, Thuswaldner makes room for more unusual choices. In "A Dress for the Moon,'' for example, the moon's mother complains of the moon's ever-changing size, which makes her "the despair of the very best of dressmakers!'' The retellings are graceful and, true to Aesop, do not tack on any aphoristic morals. With its sophisticated design, however, the volume lacks child appeal. Sketchy and airy, the art is more conceptual than purely narrative; the duotone presentation may obscure the visual transitions between many of the spreads. Color remains the province of the type, printed in a distractingly bright, tomato red that seems almost to vibrate against the stark white paper. All ages.

Publishers Weekly

A host of anthologies gather favorites old and new. In Aesop's Fables, Saviour Pirotta retells eight of the fables in the voice of Aesop himself ("My fables are short and simple. They are mostly about animals and simple country folk"). Richard Johnson illustrates most of the tales with one full-page, full-bleed painting and a smattering of spot art. A dramatic image of the lion caught in the net as the mouse attempts to free him is especially effective. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Eight fables are expanded and developed into short stories with settings in Ancient Greece. A fictitious Aesop introduces himself in a conversational tone at the beginning of the book. He continues his chat with the reader as he introduces each of the tales with the description of a possible incident that could have inspired the moral of the story. "The Cat's Bell" features disgruntled mice sharing grievances about the farm cat before they devise a solution that none will put into action. The familiar mouse that saves the lion is given a family of eight children to help chew through the net that encases the lion. A wolf wisely chooses freedom over the possible pleasures of being a pet dog. Of course, the farmer kills the goose that lays golden eggs, thus losing his good fortune. The stork evens the score with the fox when invited to dinner. The tortoise reminds the hare (and the reader) that "Slow and steady wins the race." The foolish frogs discover that they had been much better off without a king. And a jay learns that peacock feathers do not transform him into a fine bird. Colorful, whimsical illustrations depict people and animals in Ancient Greece as gracious and joyful. An engaging introduction to these timeless tales. 2005, Kingfisher, Ages 7 to 11.
—Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D.

Children's Literature
- Deborah Zink Roffino

Classics like "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse," "The Fox and the Grapes," "The Hare and the Tortoise," "The Crow and the Pitcher," and "The Lion and the Mouse" are included in this medley of thirteen of famous tales. Soft, detailed watercolors in muted shades are saturated with details that add to each story. The moral is clearly stated after each fable. The simplicity makes this edition perfect for teaching youngsters the tricks to constructing fables.

School Library Journal

A volume that is imbued with a decidedly European sensibility. The 17 selections range from the familiar "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" 'to those that rarely find their way into American anthologies, e.g., "The Empty Head'' and "A Dress for the Moon.'' The fables are retold in a matter-of-fact style and are illustrated with large-scale pencil drawings. Drr is adept at depicting animals' forms, but her humans are slightly awkward. Also, in spite of some endearing scenese.g., a full-front closeup of the tortoise heading over the finish lineall of the characters remain objectified and distant. Perhaps the most disturbing quality of the art is that there is no moisture, sparkle, or sign of life within the creatures' eyes. With so many Aesop collections available, the need for this one is limited.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-5-Each of these eight fables is presented in a two-part format. The first part consists of a wordy introduction in which "Aesop" explains the meaning and possible context of the tale and relates it to his own life as a freed Athenian slave. Several of the selections, such as "The Frogs That Wanted a King" and "The Jay and the Peacocks," are not often anthologized. Each telling contains descriptions of the setting, extensive dialogue, and rounded-out motivation. Unfortunately, the resulting long-windedness violates the pithiness of the genre. "The Lion and the Mouse" comes in at over eight pages. The preface makes clear what advice the ensuing selection will impart; the final paragraph of the narrative emphasizes the upcoming lesson, and a neatly framed moral is appended. This triple treatment leaves nothing to chance or children's ability to interpret meaning. However, Johnson's richly toned paintings in a pleasing variety of shapes grace the pages with lively animal and human activity. Three times as many fables in a quarter of the words appear in Ver-nica Uribe's Little Book of Fables (Groundwood, 2004), while Helen Ward's grand retelling of a dozen tales in Unwitting Wisdom (Chronicle, 2004) features more subtly designed illustrations that embellish the stories' content.-Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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You can get this ebook for free legally. .

Google 'gutenburg free ebooks'. This book of stories is great and no longer under copyright law so it's ( along with a lot if other classics) actually free to download instantly thru your nook or pc to nook via the mentioned website.

29 out of 44 people found this review helpful.

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IkaIka

Posted December 4, 2010

Yep!

What can one say about all the wonderful tells of this book. You can entertain yourself for days!

17 out of 18 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted December 27, 2011

Aesop

Love him he is a wonderful writer my youngest child in middle school is learning about him so i wanted to read her/him his fables yaayaaaayayyyayay they are so happy with the fable they love them i would recomend them to middle schoolers to learn!!!!!!!!!! :) :)

12 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted May 21, 2002

Awesome

The is an excellent book!!

10 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted May 11, 2005

The Thief and His Mother

Every story in this book has a moral. 'Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child.' It means instead of hitting the child let them get in trouble and realize what they did wrong. Also i thought it would have a good impact on children and parents.

9 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 6, 2004

One for all

My childhood memories are few and far betwen but I specifically remember Aesop's Fables. A wonderful tale ever child should have a chance to read at an early age.

7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted November 19, 2012

ABBY SAYS

For kids undr ten. Good to read in bed or snuggled up with a blanket on a rainy day!Your readerAbby

5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted October 28, 2012

Cool

It teaches us some very good morals,"honesty is very important", is just one of the many morals Aesop wrote. I LOVE THE BOOK!

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted March 25, 2012

Great book

Like this book................ My teacher read this to the class im in

4 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted December 27, 2011

It sucks

The stories don't havve an ending.

4 out of 18 people found this review helpful.

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9316311

Posted May 24, 2011

Ok

I exspected more but these are nithing but couple of sentences for esch story if you buy this book your in for a disapointment.

4 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted April 29, 2013

Good.

I think it had a lot of good details & I like it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted April 18, 2013

OK.........

It's ok but they said a bad word for the donkeys in one of te stories not my 100% favorites but ...... well ..... it's ok

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted March 7, 2013

Asops fables

Asops fables are very sweet because my favorite is the lion and the mouse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 25, 2013

i have no clue wht this says.........

How do you delete a book on a nook...... or can you?

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 15, 2012

Good

Very good stories. Remember many from my childhood but you dont get to learn about many of the endings because they make no sense. Many spelling issues but a excellent read.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted March 3, 2015

Link

Yawns.

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Anonymous

Posted March 3, 2015

To netflix

Then just add it to your wishlist and u only have to push 2

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Anonymous

Posted March 2, 2015

Spit Fyre

((Yay! More people.)) <br><p>He flew in lazily, doing a loop-de-loop just to show off.

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Anonymous

Posted March 2, 2015

Shadow angel

Petra finally. Xtoski is supposed to attack here but he still hasbt but just in case i have my angel army ready.

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